A while later behind the closed doors of one of the most heavily guarded places in all of Elan were gathered the members of the elite Knights of Frost, the Dark Wolfs.

*thud*

The bustling atmosphere fell silent as soon as I walked in through the doors.

Although the Knights tried hiding it, the look of astonishment in seeing a dead man walk again was evident on some of their faces.

"I see that news travels fast among the Knights wherever they might be..."

"Your Grace..."

Being the second-in-command of the Dark Wolfs, Ezra greeted as the rest of the Knights followed suit.

"We are grateful to see you alive again in great health"

""Yes, Your Grace!""

"Alive?" I scoffed, taking a seat at my desk.

Although I had not used it in a long time, the place was neat and clean without a speck of dust. The only thing that had changed was that the ever-increasing amount of documents was replaced by a single report notarized with the emblem of the imperial family.

It was the report on Angelica's carriage attack conducted by the Imperial Knights before the case was closed.

"Alive, Yes. But great health... not as much" I answered, flipping through the pages of the report.

There was nothing new in the report that I didn't already know except that the real perpetrators hadn't been caught. It also contained newspaper clippings of the incident that emphasized how the attackers themselves were ambushed by a horrifying monster after killing the Duchess.

Something about this tells me that the 'monster' may not be what one would typically expect it to look like.

"Your Grace"

I looked up from the report to find the Knights getting to their knees much like during the time of Angelica's supposed funeral. Seeing me read the report must have triggered an unconscious sense of guilt in them for losing her.

When the Knights may be feeling partially responsible for the tragic turn of events, the truth is that we can't always be responsible for situations that are far outside our capabilities, especially in this particular scenario.

"At ease"

Every member of the Dark Wolf squadron had returned to the estate within hours after the curse was broken. While the Imperial Palace was notified, the news would not be made public until I let it be.

"We found traces of the Saintess's power along the west a few months back. It was in a small rural village near the countryside. After that, there were similar incidents in a few other places"

Ezra went right into business and started debriefing about the pending investigations that were going on.

"It went like 'BLEEP BLEEP' and then 'BRRRR'... Nothing much after that" Mikhael added before bringing forth a map of Orion.

On the map were marked places where traces of the Saintess's powers were found in one form or another over the course of the past few months. It was spread all across the country, with one among them being right here in the capital on top of Mount Zion.

"There haven't been any other activities as of late. The Church is quiet too. Although..." Mikhael said, pulling out a flyer from his robes.

"On a totally unrelated topic, I did hear that it was recruitment season in the Vatican. At this point, I doubt they even care about their most prized asset being locked inside the palace"

Seeing how they debriefed one after another it was clear that the Knights had come prepared in anticipation of a renewed investigation.

Since it was this investigation that eventually led to my curse. It was only natural that I would see to the end of it.

But contrary to their expectations, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"My wife... Angelica is alive" My voice sounded unnaturally calm.

"More than I have ever been"

Everyone in the room froze at my statement in astonishment.

Certainly, it was not usual for someone who had fallen into a deep slumber to wake up to find that they were married. Much less that they were widowed.

It must have sounded even crazier to hear me claim that she was still alive. As for all they know, I only knew of Angelica for less than a day.

"Eh... What?"

Mikhael, who was the first one to snap out of the momentary shock asked,

"You mean the D-duchess? Didn't she diee-OWW!"

"Sir Ellinger for once in your life think before opening your mouth. Be careful of your words in front of His Grace"

"You didn't have to hit me for that Ezzy!"

Ignoring the complaining Mikhael, Ezra asked calmly,

"But how can you be so certain, Your Grace? Unless..."

Almost instantly Ezra's eyes widened, having pieced together the answer to his question.

"You knew..."

"She is alive. And out there" I said, tapping on the map.

"Check the capital gates for records... No. She's quite good at mountain climbing. She'll likely avoid going through the gates"

From our days together, I was well aware of Angelica's actions when put into motion. For one, being one of the most popular figures in all of Orion, she would avoid using any public means of transport.

"Mikhael. Check the border villages and see if you can find her whereabouts. Ask around for women matching her description, especially those traveling alone"

Two, she would avoid contacting the people she knew. Especially those whose normal lives could be jeopardized due to helping her.

"Do a search of people living around the mountain during the day of the incident. There must be at least one person who should have seen her"

Still, with everything going on, Angelica had an advantage on her side.

Aside from a few people, no one had ever seen Angelica's face owing to the Ashfords living a secluded life. The only way others could identify her would be through the striking features, the members of the Ashford family held.

Thus even if she were to walk right past them, unless they had seen her face the Knights wouldn't be able to recognize her as the Late Duchess.

Considering how the Ashfords refused to provide any means of support in finding Angelica, it was evident that they were well aware of the truth and were in fact aiding her by withholding information. As a result of that, the only picture of Angelica available was the portrait sent to the Frost estate when the marriage was settled.

"Do you want to see it, Your Grace?" Nathaniel suggested, holding a small portrait in his hands.

"When I see her. I'll know"

I immediately shifted my focus back to the report. The rest of the newspaper articles were obviously fabricated stories on sightings of 'the cursed bride' on the cliff of Mount Zion with numerous witnesses, who claimed to have seen her standing at the edge while staring at the moons.

"And the healer?"

"I have accommodated the Lady just as ordered, Your Grace"

Now that I have returned, there will be major changes moving forward. Starting from the leeches in the estate all the way to the puppeteer at the top there will be numerous eyes on my actions.

However, to find what I had lost, I will have to search discreetly and move unnoticed. And for that to happen, I will need something that will keep everyone else busy.

What better way to keep the public occupied than the presence of a potential Saintess?

"Put a shadow on her. Make sure to keep her activities noted at all times"

At that moment, my hand stopped at a certain page.

"..."

It was none other than the death certificate issued by the Imperial Palace as proof of Angelica's death. While the Imperial seal may have made it look genuine, in reality, it couldn't have been more fake.

"And as for the rest of you..."

I declared as I turned towards the Knights, crumbling the piece of document in my hands.

"We have work to do"











"Come in and take a seat"

As if he knew I would come, Master Gilbert was waiting for my arrival in his study.

Exactly three hours have passed since I had woken up, which means only three hours have gone since the search for Angelica had begun.

Having been to the capital only once when she was a child, there were not many reliable people Angelica knew of in Volos.

So where would Angelica go? If not to the one person with enough influence and absolutely no contact with the outside world.

"You knew I'd come?"

I wasn't surprised in the least.

"Who do you think I am" Master Gilbert scoffed, as he waved his hand towards the seat opposite him.

"Then that cuts this conversation short for the both of us" I took a seat, taking up on his offer.

"So, where is she?"

I went straight to the reason for my visit. There was no point in wasting time over pleasantries since we both knew were well aware of the situation.

"To tell you the truth... I don't know" Master Gilbert shook his head and leaned against his armchair.

"Nobody does... Not even her family. But I can tell you already knew that Edward" He sighed and reached for the book on the side table.

"Anyway given the circumstances, I won't blame her for doing what she did. You can't be blamed either"

"I'm not accusing anyone" I let out a dry laugh.

"Then what are your intentions for her exactly?" Master Gilbert asked, looking down through his glasses.

Although he didn't quite express it. It was evident that he was worried for Angelica as if she was his own granddaughter.

"I just want to... talk to her" I answered, looking him in the eyes.

It was true. I did want to talk to her... among other things.

On the other hand, my answer seemed to have an effect on Master Gilbert as he stayed silent. He closed his eyes and fell into deep thought, unlike his usual straightforward self.

After a few more minutes of thinking, he sighed again and said,

"She did briefly visit a few months back and borrow-... no took some stuff before throttling away. For which she still owes me by the way!"

For some reason, looking at his expression, reminded me of a familiar incident. It made me wonder what exactly did she do to him to react in such a manner.

"But as I said she didn't say where she was going, nor did I ask"

Master Gilbert massaged his temple as he continued,

"It's been months now. For all I know she could be anywhere in the country. Now that's out of the way..."

Suddenly he became serious and questioned with a stern gaze.

"What is it that you really want to know Edward?"

"I can't hide things from you Master" I leaned back, impressed by his perceptiveness.

"Looks like this is going to take a while. Tea?"

We continued talking for the next hour which proved to be crucial information. The mystery surrounding Angelica turned out to be far more complicated than I had initially assumed. That day, I learned of facts that Angelica herself was completely oblivious of.

Before we knew it, the sun had gone down and it was time to leave. I was about to rise up when Master Gilbert provided me with a riddle.

"What do you think will happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"

"..."

I didn't answer but simply turned to leave. But that didn't stop him from saying what he wanted to convey.

"Chaos"

Hearing that word made me unconsciously come to a halt.

"She's not an object"

When I defended instantly, Master Gilbert retorted,

"And you're not going to stop either, are you?"

"No"

I firmly stated without turning back and started walking towards the door.

Just as I was about to walk out, Master Gilbert called out to me again.

"Here"

My hands instinctively caught the object towards me. It was an old scroll tightly wound with a piece of thread.

"If you have any chances of finding Angelica. You might need that"